Wednesday, May 2, 2012

All About Cali

I am so excited to share with you some more details about our Cali Rose! I will start with her name. First of all, over on the announcement video on youtube, someone asked a great question today. He said, "Why would you change their names?" We have had a few people ask us this question over the years, and I'm happy to share our reasons. I think that the majority of adoptive parents have found that their newly adopted child prefers to be given an American name. I know there are exceptions to this, but after spending a lot of time on adoption threads, I really think this is the case most of the time. There are a few reasons that older children specifically have given for this. First of all, it is difficult for people to pronounce their Chinese names, and that can quickly become annoying or frustrating. Secondly, having an American name can make them feel more like their new family and friends-- they feel like they fit in better. Third, it gives them a fresh start.

All of this being said, we feel like it's important to give the older child a choice. When we adopted Graci, we told her (through a translator) that we loved her Chinese name, Wang Chun Ling, and thought that it was beautiful. We told her that we had also chosen an American name for her, and that she could choose which one she wanted to go by. For the first few days, she wanted to be called Chun Ling. It wasn't long before she changed over to Graci. For awhile, we called her both, but she quickly got tired of how Jessica pronounced her name "Ching-a-ling" (we thought it was cute!) and would tell her, "No, I Graci!" She now loves her American name. At nighttime, when we tuck her in, we still call her by her Chinese name as we do our little bedtime routine of, "Are you my little Ling Ling?" We do this with all of our kids from China. Every child is different, and Lexi and Sophi were particularly adamant that we not call them by their Chinese name. It took quite awhile for them to answer to it at nighttime. I think it's all about that fresh new start and having a name that sounds more like those around them! Many families choose to keep part of their child's Chinese name in their American name. We did this with Elli (Elizabeth Mei.) We also kept part of Lexi's (Alexis Li.) But with the others, we had names that we loved that were meaningful and we opted out of using their Chinese name in them. I don't think they feel slighted at all. They just know they have an American name and a Chinese name. In fact, I've asked Graci if she would like to incorporate her Chinese name into her American name, and she has declined. All this being said, I know that some children and parents feel differently, and I think that is fine too! Whatever works is great. I'm sure that there are some children who want to keep their given name in some form or other and others who don't.

So, the best part of this, is that we actually have had the HUGE blessing of skyping with Cali! We have never been able to do that with any of our other children, but because of some various connections, we were able to do so with her. We asked her through her nanny if she would like to keep her Chinese name or if she would like an American name like our other kids and she immediately said that she wanted an American name. We will give Conner the same choice. So I hope that answers your question, Johnathan! (:

Speaking of names... it took us FOREVER to decide on sweet Cali's name! When you have lots of people in a family you have lots of opinions! We discussed Lillianne "Lili", Olivia "Livi", Meredith "Meri", Isabelle "Issi", Madison "Madi", Adaleigh "Addi", Miriam "Miri", and more. We liked them all for different reasons, but have finally settled on Calais Rose (at least for now!) When I was young, I fell in love with the name Calais. It is French, and my dad is a French teacher. I loved the way it sounded (pronounced Ca-lay, with the emphasis on the lay) and the way it's spelled. I told my Grandma Nelson that I wanted a Calais someday, and she fell in love with the name too. She never let me forget that I wanted a Calais, and brought it up all the time. When we found out we were having a girl (Jessica) she was really surprised we didn't name her Calais, but assured me that I would have my Calais someday. She died about a year later, and I can't think of the name Calais without thinking of her. I loved, loved, loved my grandma and she makes me love the name Calais even more. As far as the nickname Cali, as I'm sure you've gathered, all of us Green girls have a nickname ending in an "i." Well, except for Emily-- when she was born, I spelled her name "Emmy" (we hadn't really established the trend yet) and it feels weird for me to change it. I LOVE the name Cali. One of the sweetest girls I knew growing up had that name (spelled Callie) and she reminds me so much of Tang Min-- sweet, smart, and gentle. Cali means "beautiful" and "lovely" which are both very fitting for our Cali. Also, I found a website that claims that the name Cali originated from China-- perfect! The middle name Rose comes from her Grandma Rose (Jeremy's mother) and also his sister, Tiffany Rose. I think it suits Cali perfectly. So there ya go!

On to Cali... Is she precious or what?!!! We sent her a care
package a couple of months ago to let her know she was getting a
family. All of the kids wrote her letters, and we sent some fun goodies. According to her nanny, she was VERY excited and a little
scared. I would personally be terrified, so I'm proud of her for being
"just a little scared!" This girl is sweet beyond words. Skyping with
her was such a beautiful experience. Her little high-pitched voice just
cracked us up! She seriously sounded like she was 4 or 5 years old.
She was so shy at first, but warmed up a little at the end. We found
out that her favorite color is pink, her favorite food is corn, and that
she loves spicy food, girly things and princesses. Our girls are SO excited! She is apparently a whiz at
computers and knows how to do power point presentations, but hates
math. (: She attends a special education school because the regular
school isn't wheelchair accessible, and she was very excited to learn
that every school in America is wheelchair accessible! She is 11 years
old, and her birthday is in October. That would mean she should attend
6th grade next year, but we are still unsure whether we'll put her in
5th or 6th. We'll determine that later.

Cali has spina bifida. From what we understand and have seen in
videos, she can stand up for short periods of time and can walk just a
bit if she can lean heavily on something. It will be interesting to see
what kind of therapy and help she will receive here. I'm sure we have
lots to learn.

My favorite part of the skype session was when we said "we love
you" and she replied in her sweet little voice in English, "I love you,
too!" Melted our hearts. We are told she is working very hard on
learning English so she will be prepared to come to America. I'm sure it
will still be very limited, but we are so grateful she is getting a
head start!

The story of Cali's history is her own story to tell, and I'll
let her choose later whether or not to share it as she gets older. As
far as us finding her, that is quite a story itself! It involves
miraculous events with a dear lady named Kristen. We will be forever
indebted to her and to God for weaving such a beautiful story. I will
open up about that later as the time is right.

We love this precious girl and are so grateful for the privilege of being her family. We can't wait to bring her home!!!

Here are a few pictures of the care package we sent her, and pictures of her taken over the last three years:

Wow! So glad to have found your video (my kids are still singing it!) and blog. We have 13 kids now (12 were straight adoptions from the foster care system and 1 bio child). We are in the process of bringing home 5 children from Bulgaria right now. Most of our children have special needs and the ones coming from Bulgaria all have Down Syndrome. My kids love your video and learning about your family via the blog! Calais is gorgeous and I can't wait to hear about Conner tomorrow!

CONGRATS! And if my family is any gauge...my kids are listening to your song all the time! So we have given you like 100 hits! lolThey keep bugging me to ask you...Did you really sing that yourself/come up with it?They think it is awesome and want to adopt again so they can make a cool video! ;) Ok..so that might not be the whole reason! But their wheels are spinning.So happy for you guys!We love following along,Lynnea www.hamelothjourney.blogspot.com

Yes, we came up with the lyrics together. Jeremy took the boys to a studio to record it. They had only practiced a couple of times and only had time to sing it once through at the studio-- I was so proud of them-- I think it turned out great! I have to say, they are a bit mortified (and probably secretly pleased) that so many people are seeing it. (;

Morning guys - what a wonderful story - there are some God moments in the rest I think! And thanks to for keeping the personal part of her story for her!

And you know we agree that you are spot on with the names! When we chose the names for our adopted guys we included their Chinese names as middle names only to make it 'easier' for them to use them (legally) in the future should they choose to "go by" first initial / middle name / last name for docuemnts etc. Through our exchange student we've learned that the vast majority of Asian kids use "american names" of their choice all the time. That may be more in line with a 'fad' - but Bella Song Yeon says it's been going on as long as she can remember (she's 16). We were extremely flattered when she "adopted" our family name as her sir name with the school district - yeah - you just shared in our "Awwww" moment too! She's a gem!

And Graci - extremely cool that you wrote your sister in your shared language! I hope that you guys hold onto that all of your life!!

Love God bringing all the pieces together. I am actually jealous. would love to adopt again. We have 6 kids and would love a few more. In God's time. Praying a bigger house for you!!!! Can't wait to follow your journey back to China. We also gave our one son from China an American name. He was 3 at the time so really had no opinion. We just called him his chinese name with the American name tagged on the end. now he hears his Chinese name when he is in trouble as it is his middle name :)

Many congratulations on your son and daughter! I was wondering what SWI Cali is from. My son came home from Hefei in 2008 and we have a few pictures of a girl who reminds me of your Cali. If they are from the same place, I can send them to you! Best wishes

Hello! my name is Terry, I'm a friend of Kristen's. My son Evan is also from Calie's orphanage. He and Peter where there and adopted around the same time. He's almost 7 now :) I cried when I saw that you were adopting Tang Min. We have been praying for her a very long time. Considered her ourselves but that was not to be. We brought home our Daughter Arielle last year, she's almost 15 now. She has prayed for Tang Min everyday until she heard she had a family! So blessed to see your family!!! I do have a blog, but haven't updated for a few months... http://jonesy4him.blogspot.com/ ps. praying for Conner too!

It is so fun to make these connections. We feel so blessed to have been led to Cali. Her sweet spirit shines right through her pictures. We love her so much already and can't wait to meet her face to face!

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When we fell in love 20 years ago, we started down a path that has been challenging, exhausting, and breathtakingly beautiful. Here we chronicle the blessings and stressings of parenting some pretty amazing children. We think they're the perfect travel companions as we look forward to the next fork in the road. Welcome to our journey.

Jeremy and Christianne

Taylor Jeremy--19

Parker Matthew--18

The red-headed social butterfly, he's our all-star athlete, top student, outdoor-loving, spunky second-born, with a heart of pure gold!

Jessica Anne "Jesi"--15

Our little princess with the big smile, Jesi loves fashion, friends, hanging with her siblings, and vacations. She sparkles!

Jacob Michael-- 6/8/2004

Little one of heavenly birth, born too soon to bloom on earth. You have taught us so much--we love you, Jacob!

Emily Anne "Emmy"--9/28/2005

Emily's exquisite little hands and feet have left their mark in this world. Her body was tiny, but her spirit enormous. We miss her!

Elizabeth Mei "Elli"--14

Elli's world may be dark, but she's the light of our lives! Lover of music, chocolate, and new toys, she fights a courageous battle with autism while bringing joy to all who know her!!

Gracelin Kate "Graci"--20

Showing true grace throughout her battles with heart disease and pulmonary hypertension, our Gracester is loved by everyone! She's smart, gorgeous, friendly, and has faith to move mountains!

Alexander Philip "Xander"--13

With a spunk and smile that could outmatch anyone's, our Xander has not let Cloves Syndrome get the best of him. He's a talented chef, a caring friend to MANY, our best helper, and is full of teenage humor.

Alexis Li "Lexi"--14

Meet the friendliest girl on the planet! Blind from birth, Lexi amazes all of us with her braille skills, determination, talents, but mosly by the way she spends her days SMILING. She is an angel in every way. We are thrilled to have our darling daughter home six years from China!!

Sophia Breanne "Sophi"--10

Her eyes called out to us from half-way around the world. Little Sophi is growing up and we would do anything to freeze her in time! She's beautiful, smart, and coy and can do amazing things with her toes! She has inspired people all around the world and we can't believe she is ours. Sophi = perfection.

Calais Rose "Cali"--18

Charming Cali joined our family in December of 2012. This girl is beautiful both inside and out. Born with spina bifida, Cali is confined to a wheelchair, but that does not keep her from enjoying life to the fullest. She is smart, opinionated, strong, and lovely in every way. She is a light in our family and a magnet for handsome young men!

Conner Allen-- 18

Meet our newest addition! Home three years from China, Conner makes us wonder what we ever did without him. Blind from birth, he will blow you away with his incredible talent on the piano. He is sweet, witty, girl-crazy, kind and finally, OURS! We love you, Conner!

The Dog

Baxter-- 1 year

She begged and pleaded and wrote letter after letter telling us why she NEEDED a dog, and Sophi finally got her wish! Meet Baxter, the cutest mini-audssiedoodle on the planet.